Worth the Wait
by chalantness
Summary: Mike has a question for Tina that he hopes was definitely worth the wait.


**Fandom.** MikeTina-centric with established PuckRachel and FinnSantana, and a _little_ WillShelby

Disclaimer: Glee © Fox/Ryan Murphy

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**Worth the Wait**

By sakuracherish814

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Mike Chang was nervous to the point where he almost felt physically ill.

No, it wasn't the fact that he had heard rumors that Coach Beiste was going to make them scarf down pizzas and do wind sprints during practice again. Nor was it the fact that all of his teachers decided to give tests that Friday, so he had six different classes (all either honors or AP level) to study for tonight if he had any hopes of maintaining his grades above a B average.

He was nervous because it was their _junior _year, which meant _junior prom_. He still hadn't mustered up the courage to ask _her_, and he was running out of time.

"Dude," Puck says, nudging his shoulder as they exit their fifth period Algebra 2 Honors. (Yeah, _Noah Puckerman_ attending math class, and an honors one at that—Rachel Berry was officially a miracle worker.) "You need to go to the nurse or something?"

"Huh?"

"You're looking a little green."

Mike shakes his head slowly, his voice small as he replies, "Nah, I think I'm good."

Puck frowns. "Yeah right, man, something's bothering you. You've been acting so weird lately, like you're on edge or something. It's starting to freak me out."

For a moment, Mike is a little surprised. "Since when were you so emotionally observant?" he questions almost accusingly.

Puck rolls his eyes. "Rach is people-person."

"Ah."

"Which reminds me," he continues, "she wanted me to make sure all the guys are going to prom. She wants the all of us to be together. So you're going, right?"

He nearly freezes their stride. "Junior prom?"

"Yup," Puck answers, popping the p. "You know, the one that's three weeks away?"

"Three weeks?"

Puck looks at him for a second, and slowly a look of realization forms. "That's what it is, isn't it?"

"What is?" Mike asks in an attempt to feign ignorance, but Puck was actually a lot smarter than people gave him credit for, so he knew that Puck must've already put the pieces together. (The smug smile on his best friend's face is proof enough of the revelation.)

"You're upset over prom," Puck declares, and in the same breath, "Let me guess: Tina."

Mike whips his head around. "Any louder, man, I don't think the other side of the school heard you!" he hisses.

Puck laughs. "Knew it! Man, Rachel was right. I _am_ getting better at this."

"Shut up."

He throws Mike another smug smile and continues. "It's not such a big deal if anyone hears. You two are together, anyway, so it's not like no one saw it coming."

Mike rolls his eyes. "Our dating doesn't have anything to do with it. Remember how much trouble you went through with Rachel to ask her?"

Puck makes a face, clearly recalling the event. (He knew he had to bring out the big guns if he wanted to truly sweep her off her feet, which involved him serenading her in front of the whole cafeteria. Naturally, she cried and said yes, but because Puck was still Puck, it still stung because his stunt majorly bruised his ego, no matter how relieved he was to that Rachel said yes.)

Mike smirks and coughs, "Whipped!" into his fist, earning him a shove from Puck. He laughs.

"I see your problem," Puck offers. "So you have no idea what you're going to do to ask her to the prom?"

He shakes his head.

"Bummer."

"Gee thanks, man," Mike mutters.

Puck laughs. "I'm sure you'll figure something out. According to Rach, you're 'one of the sweetest, most chivalrous guys' she knows." Pausing, he adds, "Her words, not mine."

"I doubt you even know what _chivalrous_ means."

"Hey," Puck corrects, "when you date a girl like Rachel, you get to know a lot."

Mike smiles and nods in agreement. "I'll see you in glee?"

"Later," he says, mock-punching Mike's shoulder before turning the corner and disappearing into the throng of students.

Mike turns and walks towards his final period—Spanish 3 with Mr. Schuester, which he also shared with Finn, Santana, and Tina. As he walks in, the students are all in groups, chatting casually as they waited out the remainder of passing period for class to begin. He quickly finds their spot (Santana and Tina occupy the table in front of him and Finn) and joins them.

"How romantic," Tina was sighing as he slides into his seat. She smiles at him and gives a little wave. "Hey you."

He grins back. "What was so romantic?"

"Mr. Schuester proposed to Ms. Corcoran during their dinner date last night," Santana explains. "Rachel was giving me the details during English."

"That must be so awesome for them." Finn says, then he pauses as a second thought crosses his mind. "Wait, wouldn't that make Mr. Schue Rachel's step-dad or something?"

Santana rolls her eyes. "A little slow on the uptake, are we, babe?"

They laugh.

"That means Mr. Schue'll be in a good mood today," Mike points out.

"Maybe he'll cancel our test tomorrow," Tina adds hopefully before she rethinks her words and frowns. "I have to cram."

"Don't worry, we'll webcam," Santana reassures her and Tina smiles back appreciatively.

"That bad, huh?" Mike asks.

Tina nods and pretends to pout. "My parents are going to kill me if I get below a B- on any of my tests tomorrow." She cringes as the thought of achieving such status truly sinks in. "That's it! I'm so dead." She turns to Mike, theatrically taking his hand and squeezing it. "You'll go to my funeral, right?"

He laughs. "Wouldn't miss it for the world, Tee, but you're not going to die."

"You've been spending too much time with Rachel," Santana chuckles with a shake of her head. "And is it that much of a crime to your parents?"

She opens her mouth, about to say something, but the bell cuts her off right as Mr. Schuester walks into the classroom. "Okay, class, clear your desks. Time to review."

Tina sighs and turns to face frontward in her chair.

The rest of the class was relatively normal—he, Finn, and Tina spent most of the period desperately questioning Santana and then listening to her perfectly fluent and accented Spanish as she tries to break it down for them to understand. By the end of class, everyone's heads are hurting, and no one is really reassured that they've reviewed enough for tomorrow.

The bell goes off and they gather their things. Santana stretches up on her toes to kiss Finn's temple as he drapes an arm around her, and they head towards the door.

"Mike?" Tina asks as she sees him pause and look over to where Mr. Schuester was collecting the remainder of the review packets.

He blinks and looks at her. "Uh, go on ahead. I need to ask him something." And with that, he gets out of his seat and walks towards Mr. Schuester.

"Oh, hey, Mike," he greets. "Is there something I can do for you?"

Mike smiles a little widely. "Actually, yeah. Mr. Schue, I was kind of thinking of something…"

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Tina sighs and runs her fingers through her hair, tapping the eraser of her mechanical pencil to her desk.

_Only three questions left, Tina. Three questions!_ she thinks to herself. She knows having to mentally motivate herself wasn't the healthiest of signs, but after a long night of webcam studying and a whole five other periods of monstrous testing, her brain feels like mush right about now. And she only had three more questions before she could put an end to her ridiculously long day.

Beside her Santana flips to the very back of her test, and Tina realizes that she didn't account for the last side. _Great. Just when I thought I was almost done!_

Then Santana gasps slightly, which was not a reassuring sound. At all.

"What?" Tina hisses.

But Santana just shakes her head and gives her a look that she's sure translates to: 'Just hurry up and get to the back!'

Tina sighs again and tries to focus, bubbling in her answers for #98 and #99.

Around her, she hears more people turn their tests, followed by a few more soft gasps, and she feels even more anxious than before. Finally, a few moments later, she settles on an answer for #100, and reluctantly flips her paper over. Surprisingly, there is only one question. Then she furrows her eyebrows as she realizes that there are no multiple choice answers.

A few more gasps and sighs fill the air and suddenly, the dead-silent testing atmosphere has erupted into a soft chatter. She looks up, temporarily distracted, and finds half of the people now looking at her—one of those people being Mr. Schuester, which she finds particularly odd.

"Read the question," Santana hisses, startling her. Tina shoots her friend a questioning look before returning to her test.

_101. Tina Cohen-Chang, would you be my date to the junior prom? Love always, your boyfriend, Mike Chang_

She blinks.

And then it finally hits her.

"Oh my gosh," she breathes, her voice octaves higher than before.

Slowly, her eyes turn towards Santana, who smiles at her and places her hand on her arm, squeezing it lightly.

Then, after what feels like an eternity, she shifts in her seat and slowly turns her torso to face Mike, who she temporarily forgot was sitting _right behind her_. Oh boy.

He's smiling at her—a small, bashful smile, with his cheeks slightly colored and his bangs falling in his eyes a little. (Something she always found incredibly adorable, if not very distracting.) There are low whistles and murmurs and sighs around them, and her stomach does a nervous flip.

She just stares at him, the words caught in her throat.

"Tina," he says softly, and the blood rushes to her cheeks. "You don't have to answer now, if you don't want to."

And now she feels guilty. Here he was, making probably the sweetest gesture in all of William McKinley High dating history and pouring himself in front of her and the class, and she had yet to give him a fitting reaction. Or an answer.

So she smiles back and leans over the table, forgetting the fact that their peers were watching as she presses their lips together.

He reacts instantly, kissing her back, and she feels that strange icy-hot sensation she got around Mike rush through her veins. He places a warm hand on her neck, pulling her closer and deepening their kiss, and she doesn't even care that the sighing and whistling and hollering get louder. Only when Mr. Schuester softly clears his throat do they finally pull apart.

She feels her answer is clear but she also feels he deserves the added effort.

So, never breaking their graze, her smile grows wider and she slowly slips the pencil from his hand. Then she tilts her head downward and scrawls on his test under #101:

_Yes, I'd love to be your date. Love always, your girlfriend, Tina Cohen-Chang_

The class erupts into a cheer.

Beside them, Finn gives Mike's shoulder an excited shove and Santana squeezes her arm.

Tina shakes her head, too euphoric for words, and leans over to kiss his cheek in a spot dangerously close to his lips. He smiles. "I guess it was worth the wait?"

* * *

Tina was a mess, or at least she _felt_ like one.

She glances into her mirror and frowns, instantly regretting it. Nope—she looked _and_ felt a mess. Great.

Frantically, she rushes around the room and tries to locate her other earring while trying not to wrinkle her dark purple and black lace dress. Courtesy of Kurt and Mercedes, of course, made for her specifically for tonight. In fact, they had custom-made _all_ of their dresses for tonight, and the last thing she needed was them patronizing her for messing up one of their babies.

_Knock-knock-knock_. "Tina?"

"I'll be down in a minute, Dad, I can't find my other earring!" she cries back.

There was muffled laughing. "It's Mike," he corrects. Her heart drops in her chest. "Did you want me to help you?"

"No—you can't see the dress!" she exclaims. "It's an omen."

"I thought that superstition only applied to wedding dresses?" he questions.

"Well, apparently to Kurt and Mercedes, it applies to their masterpieces as well so we can't risk it," she informs. "I swear I only have to put on my earring and then I'll be done."

"You look perfect either way, Tina." She gulps and smiles to herself. He always praised her so casually, like it should have been obvious to everyone, and she never got over it. "I'll wait in the living room. But hurry, the others will be by soon with the limo."

"Right. And Mike," she rushes to add. He pauses. "I love you."

There was a content sigh. "I love you too. So don't keep me waiting," he tells her, and then disappears down the wooden staircase.

She feels the blood rushing to her cheeks and she bites her lower lip as she smiles giddily to herself.

As she turns back to resume her search for her earring she finds it resting on top of a clutter of papers and photos on her vanity. She smiles to herself and walks over to retrieve it until something—the paper it's resting on—catches her eye. She quickly flips her aced test over to the back and runs her fingers over the single question, and her scrawled response.

"_Definitely_ worth the wait."

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**A/n.** Okay, so I originally had a different ending, but I thought I should keep everything tied together and this ending fit that best.

(The original ending was them at prom, but it became too detailed. If I have a sudden urge to make this a two-shot or to post the "alternate ending" as its own one-shot, I'll be sure to let you know.)

This is my own fantasy of how Mike might ask Tina to prom.

_So you read it. Love it? Hate it? Please review it!_


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